I keep ending up in conversations about phone use and the attention economy. I’m no expert, but I’ve made some changes that helped. Especially after becoming a dad I had to redesign my phone use. With a newborn, those rare minutes of personal time often defaulted to doomscrolling. It felt like an easy way to zone out for some “alone time”. But as it started competing with the moments that truly matter (like being with my family), I wanted to regain some agency.

This isn’t about quitting tech or striving for perfection—just making small shifts to use time more intentionally. Some days it works, some days it doesn’t and thats fine. My goal is to make it a choice, not a reflex. Below are some things that helped me.

Quick wins

• Redesign your phone’s home screen
  • No app icons on the main screen.
  • Move messaging apps into a single folder so you don’t overload the screen with red notification dots (if you must).
• Tweak your notifications
  • Turn off most of them, or minimize them. No badges, no pop-ups.
  • Less visual noise means fewer triggers.
• Default to “Do Not Disturb” or “Focus Mode”
  • Allow only critical notifications (e.g., close family).

Behavior shifts

• Replace social media with new habits
  • I replaced Instagram with Marvel Unlimited for a while. It satisfied the same itch initially, yet it didn’t keep dragging me back every two minutes. It took six to eight months to stop caring about Instagram at all. Now, I only use it for DMs.
  • Are.na, an RSS reader, or a reading app can serve a similar function. The key is redirecting that muscle memory and then gradually rewiring your habit.
  • I also built a little Wiki scroller, so I can “learnscroll” instead of doomscroll.
• Leave your phone in another room
  • Charge it outside the bedroom to avoid late-night and early-morning doomscrolling.
  • When you’re at home, let it sit in another room. Out of sight, out of mind.
• Set intentional check-in times
  • Schedule specific moments and timebox sessions to look at messages or newsfeeds.

Bigger, higher-effort and costing changes

• Swap your hardware
  • A lot of times now I just bring my Apple Watch when I go out. I’m still reachable and still within the same ecosystem, being able to pay and such without the doomscrolling.
  • I recently got a Daylight computer and that has been replacing my laptop and kindle in a nice way. Being able to read and write without the distractions.
• Create instead of consume
  • Ever since I started writing this blog, I’ve spent less time doomscrolling and more time reading, researching, and being online with purpose.
  • It can be tricky, though. Posting in current social ecosystems can trap you in that validation loop. That’s why I only post here on my own site, and I don’t track visitor stats. I write for myself. And if you happen to be reading, thank you and hopefully you enjoy some of it.

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